Digital Only Subscription
Read the digital e-Edition of The Standard-Speaker on your PC or mobile device, and have 24/7 access to breaking news, local sports, contests, and more at standardspeaker.com or on our mobile apps.

Digital Services
Have news alerts sent to your mobile device or email, read the e-Edition, sign up for daily newsletters, activate your all access, enter contests, take quizzes, download our mobile apps and see the latest e-circulars.

Article Tools

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - For the second straight night, the AHL's top-ranked defense got buried in an avalanche of goals.

Longtime Penguins nemesis Chris Bourque had a goal and an assist as the Providence Bruins scored three times in the final nine minutes of the first period and beat Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 4-2 in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Saturday night at the Dunkin' Donuts Center.

The Penguins, who trail 2-0 in the best-of-seven series, will host Game 3 on Wednesday.

"They're obviously very dangerous offensively, especially when you give them that many power plays," defenseman Alex Grant said. "You can see they move it around very well. That's not what you want in the first period, especially right out of the gate."

The Penguins took a 1-0 lead when Warren Peters banked a shorthanded shot from below the goal line in off wandering Providence goalie Niklas Svedberg at 4:40. The P-Bruins tied the score on a Jamie Tardif goal on a 5-on-3 power play about a minute later.

That was normal enough. Special teams often play a significant role in playoff games.

Shortly thereafter, though, things got abnormal. For the second straight night, the P-Bruins scored a boatload of goals in a short amount of time.

In Game 1, it was four in a seven-minute stretch of the second period. In Game 2, it was three in the final nine minutes of the first.

Ryan Spooner finished off a long cross-crease pass from Bourque at 11:24. Tardif banged in a power-play shot at the left post at 17:25. Bourque tipped in a Tommy Cross shot from the right half-wall 28.3 seconds before intermission.

The Penguins were down 4-1 and Jeff Zatkoff was done for the evening having stopped 9-of-13 shots.

"I thought 5-on-5 we were doing a lot of good things and then the referees got involved," coach John Hynes said. "When that happened, the game became a power play-penalty kill scrimmage. In the first period of a playoff game. That's what happened."

The Penguins got the better of play the rest of the game. For one thing, Brad Thiessen came on to start the second period and stopped all 15 shots he faced.

"I thought Brad came in and did a good job," Hynes said. "I wouldn't say the reason we were down was Jeff's fault, but in general, our overall game was better after we made the goalie change. I thought it played a part in it, but it wasn't the full reason. It was a team effort. Brad came in and did a good job. It was just a point where Jeff didn't need to be under siege again."

For another thing, the Penguins outscored Providence 1-0 the rest of the way. Brian Gibbons netted a power-play goal with 5:13 left in the second to make it 4-2.

"Let's not kid ourselves. They were sitting on a lead," Peters said. "It may not have been their best and they've played a lot of hockey of late. It may have been indicative of that, but at the same time, we felt good about the fact that we got to the way we're used to playing."

In a play that will surely be scrutinized by the league office, Peters knocked defenseman Zach Trotman unconscious with a hit behind the Providence net early in the third period.

"Unfortunately, I don't think he saw me coming at all and wasn't able to brace himself," Peters said. "As far as my posture, I felt like I was low. I felt I stayed on the ice. It was a hard hit. I'm not out there to hurt anybody. I'm not trying to hurt anybody. Unfortunately, that was the result, but as far as the rules go, it's definitely unfortunate but I thought I stayed below his shoulders for sure."

We welcome user discussion on our site, under the following guidelines:

To comment you must first create a profile and sign-in with a verified DISQUS account or social network ID. Sign up here.

Comments in violation of the rules will be denied, and repeat violators will be banned. Please help police the community by flagging offensive comments for our moderators to review. By posting a comment, you agree to our full terms and conditions. Click here to read terms and conditions.